Burt Reynolds 'feeling better' but still in Florida ICU, rep says

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Burt Reynolds through the years – American actors Burt Reynolds and Lori Nelson circa 1959.

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Burt Reynolds through the years – Reynolds smiles and leans on an automobile, wearing a hat and a polo shirt in 1960.

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Burt Reynolds through the years – Reynolds stands bare-chested on a kitchen set in 1960.

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Burt Reynolds through the years – The cast of "Gunsmoke" poses around a wagon in 1962. From left to right: James Arness, Milburn Stone, Amanda Blake, Ken Curtis and Burt Reynolds (seated).

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Burt Reynolds through the years – Burt poses for a photo in 1965.

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Burt Reynolds through the years – Reynolds poses on September 21, 1972.

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Burt Reynolds through the years – Reynolds attends the premiere of "Live and Let Die" in 1973 with Michael Caine and his wife Shakira Caine.

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Burt Reynolds through the years – Reynolds arrives at the London airport in 1973.

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Burt Reynolds through the years – Reynolds sports football gear in a scene from the movie "The Longest Yard" in 1974.

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Burt Reynolds through the years – Burt in 1975.

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Burt Reynolds through the years – Reynolds arrives at the London Airport in 1976.

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Burt Reynolds through the years – Reynolds appears in "Smokey and the Bandit" with Sally Field in 1977.

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Burt Reynolds through the years – Reynolds on a movie set in 1980.

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Burt Reynolds through the years – Loni Anderson attends the premiere of "City Heat" with Reynolds on December 5, 1984.

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Burt Reynolds through the years – Charles Durning, left, Reynolds, center, and Michael Jeter, right, appear in the CBS television network series, "Evening Shade" in 1991.

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Burt Reynolds through the years – Reynolds portrays a politician in the movie "Striptease" in 1996.

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Burt Reynolds through the years – Russell Crowe and Reynolds star in "Mystery, Alaska" in 1999.

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Burt Reynolds through the years – Jennifer Tilly, Richard Dreyfuss and Burt Reynolds star in "The Crew" in 2000.

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Burt Reynolds through the years – Reynolds arrives with son Quinton at the First International World Stunt Awards on May, 20, 2001.

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Burt Reynolds through the years – Adam Sandler, Reynolds and Chris Rock pose at the premiere of Paramount Pictures' remake of "The Longest Yard" on May 19, 2005, in Los Angeles, California.

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Burt Reynolds through the years – Reynolds announces the 2007 Actors Guild Life Achievement Award for Charles Durning at the 14th annual Screen Actors Guild awards on January 27, 2008, in Los Angeles, California.

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Photos: Burt Reynolds through the years – Reynolds accepts the Taurus Lifetime Achievement Award for an Action Movie Star onstage during the Seventh Annual Taurus World Stunt Awards at Paramount Pictures on May 20, 2007, in Los Angeles, California.

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Story highlights

Burt Reynolds is "feeling better," though still in the ICU with flu symptoms, his rep says

He likely will be released from the hospital on Monday, the actor's representative adds

Reynolds was one of America's most popular actors in the 1970s and 1980s

He starred in "Deliverance," the "Smokey and the Bandit" series and "Boogie Nights"

Having fended off sheriffs, car racers, backwoods locals and more during his long career on the silver screen, actor Burt Reynolds is successfully fighting flu symptoms in a Florida hospital, his representative said Saturday.

Reynolds was dehydrated and suffering from flu symptoms when he went to the hospital, then was transferred to its intensive care unit, his representative Erik Kritzer said Friday.

By the next day, Reynolds' fever had gone down as his overall condition improved, the representative said. Still, he remained in the ICU on Saturday evening.

"He is feeling better," Kritzer said, predicting that Reynolds would be released Monday from the hospital.

The representative has declined to divulge what hospital the actor was in, saying Reynolds wanted to keep that information private.

Born in southern Georgia, Reynolds and his family moved to Michigan and eventually to southeastern Florida, according to his profile on the website of the Florida Artists Hall of Fame, in which he was inducted in 1993. At Palm Beach High School, he first made a name for himself as a football star and earned an athletic scholarship to Florida State University.

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When injuries derailed his promising athletic career, Reynolds turned to acting. He scored small parts in the late 1950s, then broke through a few years later in the role of Quint on the TV series "Gunsmoke."

His career took another leap with the 1972 release of "Deliverance," in which he played an Atlanta businessman exploring the remote north Georgia wilderness with friends. "The Longest Yard" came out two years later, starring Reynolds as an ex-football player who lands in prison.

His charismatic notoriety soared through the late 1970s and into the 1980s, during which he spearheaded the "Smokey and the Bandit" and "Cannonball Run" movie franchises.

While his popularity waned relatively, Reynolds continued to score movie and TV roles into the 1990s. That included on "Evening Shade," where he earned an Emmy in 1991 playing Wood Newton -- once again, a former football player.

His lone Oscar nomination came in 1998, in the best supporting actor category, for his portrayal of pornographic film producer Jack Horner in the film "Boogie Nights."